Magicked Abyss
by Shintara
Summary: A girl finds herself in the World That Never Was to find her long lost brother. Little does she know she's in for more than she bargained for...
1. Coiling the Light

**Well folks, I finally decided upon making a Kingdom Hearts fanfic after monthes of mental debate over it. This first chapter is only a small sample of what the main character is like, her abilities and such. I know it's short, but hey, least I worked my butt off to make it good. Hope you enjoy.  
Remember to give suggestions and such as to what should be put into later chapters.**

The Magicked Abyss  
Chapter One

The girl closed her eyes, shielding her face with one hand while the other was raised above her. Tendrils of light danced playfully around her fingertips as she murmured incantation after incantation. Her silvery blue haired whipped and spun around her head as she shut her eyes in concentration. The light radiated and shimmered as it wove threads of rainbow ropes all around. She opened her dark blue eyes and let the words out of her mouth hiss and rattle as the ropes coiled around on the ground towards their prey. The light warmed her as she wrapped her arms around her and envisioned the rainbow ropes' path.

The lights from the buildings around her did none too good for her vision. She could almost visualize the people peering down towards her from those tall imposing buildings, but there were none, not in this world not to be. All was quiet and the wind yawned lazily and blew softly in her face. It was night, always night here. Even with the night's darkness there was always a comforting light from the buildings and she always loved to stick to the shadows.

But the shadows were not welcoming. Not anymore. Before she knew it the shadows rippled and swayed under her, but she did not falter. She continued to whisper her incantations like they were her own friends, softly comforting them.  
The shadows began to grow around her until all were separated and parted each other. Each came slowly toward her like a cat towards a mouse.

Before she knew it, she was surrounded on all sides. Black wisps appeared and almost jumped as the ropes approached. The wisps materialized into small black creatures with the eyes of soulless hunters and the claws and antennae of small insects. They chittered and chattered as the ropes came closer and closer. The girl kept on murmuring, almost coaxing the small ropes as they crawled almost peacefully towards the creatures. One lunged out, claws exposed, but she uttered a word and the rope came to grab its victim and reduce it to a small vanishing plume of smoke.

The other creatures squeaked in protest but soon gave in and retreated to the ground to become shadows, lying in wait. The girl opened her eyes and almost smiled feebly. Her knees shook with the effort to stand, but she managed to stand tall and flip her hair back in victory. Her lips parted slightly as she looked around, hand pointed in front of her to ward off anymore of her challengers. Seeing none she sighed happily and began to laugh nervously. "That will teach you to mess with Xiara, enchantress of the elements," She whispered with fluttery eyelids as she collapsed to the ground, exhausted of her job well done.


	2. Winds Treasure

**Me: **YAY! IT'S STORY TIME!  
**Axel: **Ah shut up would ya?! Nobody cares! HEY! I JUST MADE A FUNNY!  
**Me: **… No you didn't.  
**Axel: **Yes I did.  
**Me: **No you didn't.  
**Axel: **Yes I did.  
**Me:** No.  
**Axel: **YES!!!  
**Me:** NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!  
**Xiara: Would you two just keep your annoying idiocy to yourselves?  
-**locks them both in a closet-  
Anyways, all the characters and settings in the fanfic are owned by SquareEnix and Disney. I, however, am –unforunately- owned by the authoress. So… have fun reading about me.

**The Magicked Abyss**  
**Chapter 2**

Axel gruntedand cursed as he sat in his reserved high chair in the meeting room with Xemnas looking down at him from the topmost chair. The Organization's leader smirked down at Axel and ran his hand through his long spiked silver hair. His eyes peered down icily at Axel, as if he had no emotion at all. "Axel, I'm very disappointed in you," the Superior said coolly in a booming, yet sinister voice. "Not only did you let that fool Demyx turn my private office into a swimming pool, but you also left the library in a wave of destruction last night after your fight with Zexion."

Axel scratched his head. He had deep red spiked hair that would curve back, and stunningly green eyes with a sort of tear shaped tattoo under them. He pulled off a smile and chuckled. "Yeah well… Ya gotta admit, its better that Demyx ruined your office instead of Lightning Blonde!" He replied smiling. "Lightning Blonde" was the nickname he'd give the Organization's most vicious member, Larxene, who was also the only female member. "And Zexy was asking for it. Heck, he's the one who started the fight in the first place."

Xemnas just sighed and shook his head. Axel could never comprehend what the world "trouble" meant until he got into it. With a deep grumble Xemnas looked at Axel sternly before giving him his punishment. "Axel, you are to patrol the surrounding area as a punishment for five days. And if you return here before that, you may as well be dead. Report everything you happen to observe and hand it into me once you return. Now leave." Xemnas ordered as he waved his hand in to direction of the large door and with a blink of his cold red eyes, he vanished into a dark, gloomy looking portal.

Axel smirked. If this is what the Superior thought was a fitting punishment, then he wondered what a lenient punishment was. Patrolling the area was never too hard. There was never anything to patrol. Everything around was just as bizarre and plain as the castle itself. There were just tall skyscrapers that looked as if they could just reach up and touch the very fabric of the sky above. And other than that, there were small Heartless, creatures with beady yellow eyes and claws, hardly fit to even fend off a lesser Nobody. With one last chuckle and a movement of his hand, he opened up his own dark portal to the world outside the castle. His work was never done.

The pyro yawned and stretched his long skinny arms before beginning his search of the area. A small cool breeze welcomed him as he walked along, whistling all the while and recalling his fond memories of yesterday's plan to flood the Superior's office and how he pulled a prank on Zexion whilst he was asleep by taking away all his book and placing them stealthily into the hot-tempered Larxene's room. Even his small minor cuts from Zexion's mediocre fighting did nothing to make him regret, or even think twice about what he'd done. It was a good day's work for Axel, expert in the art of blowing and burning things up, and the second best prankster the Organization had ever witnessed. He probably even deserved a metal for his good work.

The streets just stretched and narrowed further and further as Axel walked along merrily. He began fiddling around with the chain on his black cloak to pass the time as he ventured further into familiar territory. The glow from the buildings around him glowed faintly as the ever-lasting night wore on. Even from his first encounter with the peculiar world had led him to believe that they'd always been there, just waiting for someone to open their doors and observe their many different worlds within worlds.

The wind became more powerful as Axel walked on and he began to ponder why it was so. _There's NEVER been strong wind like this before, _Axel thought as he picked up his pace, cloak billowing behind him and hair obscuring his eyes. The buildings even moaned, creaked, and yawned as if they too did not agree with the ill will of the wind. He clenched his gloved hands and opened them to greet the fire that would wisp and scream as his two signature weapons: the chakrams, appeared. Each was spiked and designed simply, with silver gliding along the top edges and red on the inside curves. 

Axel twirled his chakrams, almost making his fingers dance around them as the twirled and spun in his hands. He began to run full speed as the wind picked up again and the light from the buildings eased from a bright yellow to a eerie blue.

He found himself in a small square, surrounded on all sides by skyscrapers that looked as if all the windows had been smashed inwards. He panted slightly, getting as much air into his lungs as he scanned the area for anything suspicious.

And there it was. It couldn't have looked like more than a small heap hidden in the shroud of a shadow, but it was enough to get into a fighting stance as he approached it cautiously. "Show yourself!" he commanded. But there was no reply, none at all. The heap stayed as it was on the ground and the wind swirled around it, almost like a protective bubble.

He approached it even further, one chakram in front of him, and the other at his side. Upon reaching it however, he returned both chakrams to their regular positions at his sides and knelt down, careful to avoid the wind encasing it.

The heap was nothing more than a teenage girl, appearing to be nothing more than seventeen years old. She had fair cheeks, dark silver-blue hair, and her cherry lips were parted, a sure sign that she was breathing. She was wearing a small white cape covering her short navy coloured dress with a yellow belt around it and white boots.

He was scared to even touch her, she looked so fragile and thin. He shook his head. _You, idiot. What do you think Superior would say if you came back with a useless girl? He'd be furious! You'd get your ass kicked, seriously, _said one half of his mind. The other however had a different opinion. _I could always just leave her here. Works for me. Saves me the effort of having to babysit and take care of her._ He stomped down hard on the ground. "Dammit, Axel! Why do you always have to be such a softie?!" He yelled. He glared at the wind orb around her. How was he ever going to penetrate that? He looked down at his chakrams. Fire, fire always worked.

Axel leaped back from the orb, spun his chakrams and focusing his mind to surround them with a layer of fire and threw them as hard he could at the orb.  
The orb relented at first, not wanted to surrender it's prize but it finally yielded and evaporated, leaving Axel happy and smirking as he walked purposefully towards the girl, picked her up, carried her towards headquarters. There was no way Xemnas wouldn't think this was a good job. He'd just found the Organization's newest guinea pig.


	3. Trapped

**The Magicked Abyss  
Chapter Three**

Whispered words floated around in the young girl's mind, almost as if she were dreaming, even if she knew she couldn't. Xiara's mind was almost like a puzzle, but with that one piece missing. Memories wandered and walked into her subconscious making her whisper and giggle in her sleep.

She could see a younger version of herself, but a tinkling smile on her face everyday and bouncy black hair with radiant blue eyes. She would prance and giggle and rejoice in everyday. Nothing could ruin her bliss. She would run her fingertips through the lilacs and flowers that grew in her village and whisper stories to the young children in her neighborhood. But those days were long gone. And her memories were fading, each and everyday.

Xiara could even feel the memories curve and twist into nothingness and the darkness she felt creep into her body each and everytime she closed her eyes. It was like a demon haunting her visions, like she could never escape. But one memory the darkness could never weave and destroy was her brother. His face had haunted her ever since the day she changed. Since she lost her heart to what she feared the most: death. It's icy grasp would never let her go or forgive herself for giving in so easily.

She muttered incantations in her dreams and woke abruptly with sweat on her forehead. She rubbed her forehead lightly and groaned. Her whole body felt stiff, as if she hadn't been up for a long while. She rubbed the dust from her eyes and blinked to adjust to the dark light around her. The shock of where she was almost made her stumble.

Xiara was in a room, a small bedroom. And by the looks of it, it was a guy's room. She gulped and attempted to sit up. She looked down to see that someone had even given her a quilt to keep her warm. It was embroidered with small flames all over it and black curves and insignia all over it. She took it off and looked at it quizzically. Out of common courtesy she folded it up and placed it gently on the bed. Then she began her observation of the room.

Xiara was always a curious girl. She loved to examine things and note all the fine details and she could never help by always nose around into other people's business. She could never help it. She was curious by nature. The first thing she noted was the white and redness of basically everything in the room. The table was white, the bookshelf was white, the walls were white. And every knick-knack and other small object was red. Clothes, magazines and video games were scattered all over the floor, and the bookshelf was filled with very little books. Even the computer and television was red, added with some messy junk lying on top of each. She sighed and half-smiled to herself. Whoever lived in this room was a very big fan of messiness and loved the colour red.

She picked up some of the clothes and observed if there was anything she could wear. The clothes she had on right now were ripped, tattered and dirty due to her endless traveling. Even her cloak was showing signs of bitter abuse, with its numberous wholes and scorch markings did nothing to improve her opinion of it. She took it off and pouted. That cloak was like her trademark. She almost regretted having to discard it, but she gave in and put it on the ground.

After minutes of searching Xiara finally found clothes that would look decent on her. The first was a black worn out t-shirt with faded letters that looked as if they formed sentences and words at one time, but were now so faded you could hardly tell. And the second was a pair of jeans that looked like they would fit perfectly snug on her, but when she tried them on, she found they were quite tight at the bottoms. She sat herself down onto the bed and observed herself in the mirror. She noted to herself that she didn't look half-bad in this outfit. Looking down at her fingers she found that her hands had become brittle and rough. _Must be from all that foraging and hunting_, she thought. She picked herself up onto her feet and spied the room for anymore items that may become handy. She checked the desk which was littered in papers full of notes and old photographs until she raided the pile and found what she was looking for: a pair of gloves. She put them on and flexed her fingers. 

Voices boomed outside the door. The girl quickly scooted down and hid herself under the computer desk, cautious enough to keep most of her in the shadow cover. Xiara pricked her ears so she could hear more. The first voice was that of a young man who kept on laughing childishly and the second was of a bored youth who sounded as if he were greatly irritated. _Please don't let them come in this room. Anything but that!_ She yelled in her mind.

The young man laughed lightly. " Awh, c'mon Rox! It'll be fun sneaking into Axel's room. Just imagine all the fun we could have filling it up with water and putting fish in it!"

The youth grumbled something under is breath. The girl could swear she heard a very agitated sigh. "No way, Demyx. Axel would kill you if you did something like that! And besides, you know he'd only prank us back," the youth snapped.

Xiara could hear one of them rattle the door handle slightly. "Please Roxas? Just this once?" The young man said in a pleading voice.

The youth swore. "Fine! Have it your way, but you're going to take the blame!" he replied as he opened the door.

Xiara squeaked and curled herself more into the shadows. The youth just stared in her direction as if she were a ghost. "W-WHO'S THERE?!" the young man yelled in a frightened tone. Xiara shut her eyes in fear, took a deep breath and stepped out of the shadow slowly. Both of them just stared dumbstruck at her.

"H-Hi. I'm Xiara," she said in a stumbling voice. "Any of you know where I am?" 

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Axel could not believe his luck. _Good job Axel! See, you can pull off any job! _ He sat in the meeting room again perched on his chair with the higher ranked member sitting around him, each with hoods draped over their heads and each with their own black cloaks matching the one Axel had on. The yelled and talked and discussed in their tight group and fussed. All because Axel had finally done a good job and found a new member of the Organization. After each had quarreled over their opinion, they would stare in Axel's direction for a split second then turn back to argue more. And all this was done as Axel sat smugly on his chair, arms crossed over his chest and a proud smirk on his face. The debating would go on like this for hours more as the pyro just sat and looked on at them patiently. Even Xemnas seemed to be absorbed in this new prospect and listened intently to what the other higher ups thought of all this. Axel could almost even picture his reward in his mind. Maybe he'd even get to finally skip his missions or even command them. After each of the higher ups had their say they bowed their heads and nodded in unison, then turned their attention to Axel and Xemnas.

One of the hooded men sat up and leaned further into his chair. "Axel, we have all agreed that this girl you found may have some use for us after all. We would like for you to bring her to us as soon as you can," he said in a cool, but frighteningly soft voice. "Superior, what do you think of this?"

Xemnas considered for a moment, his red eyes staring unmoved at the hooded man. At last he nodded his head and replied in his deep voice, "Yes, I think that will be fitting. Axel, please go ahead and fetch our guest."

Axel smiled, unfolded his arms and snapped his fingers. In less than a fraction of a second he was swallowed up by a dark portal.

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The two boys just stared at Xiara, then at themselves, then at her. The older one had a blonde mullet, and blue-green eyes and a very loose looking black cloak. The younger of them had very tousled and messy blonde hair. He looked at her suspiciously through his pale blue eyes. He too had a black cloak on. "You're somewhere you're not supposed to be!" the younger blonde snarled.

Xiara stepped back nervously, inching more and more towards the wall. She put one hand behind her back, trying to draw on her energy to create more light tendrils. Her other hand was clenched in a fist in front of her. "I'm not looking for trouble, honestly I'm not. I just happened to find myself here. Please, just let me explain!"

The older looked down at the young blonde and held him by the arm. "Roxas! She sounds like she's telling the truth!"

The younger blonde just shrugged his arm off and backed off. He looked clearly angry. "But then why is she in Axel's room? For all we know she could be trying to kill us," and with that the young blonde gave her a glare which sent shivers down Xiara's back and almost made her lose control over her power.

The older blonde gave her a concerned look and tried once more to hold the younger blonde back. And that was all the distraction Xiara needed. She utterly one word of power and held her hand in their direction and sent spirals of light at them. The spiraling whip-like strands surrounded them and pushed them roughly back, slamming them into the wall of what looked like a long hallway. Xiara's light twined around them and stuck fast, holding them in place while they looked and shouted angrily at her. She uttered a small apology and bolted out the door and down the hallway.

She ran faster and faster and didn't care where she ran or where she would be. Nothing mattered except getting out of here. She looked at her surroundings as she ran. All the walls were white-washed, and each door was black with white numbers on each. She had no clue what any of it meant, and she didn't want to know. Her legs propelled her further and further but started to ache and throb after a while. She couldn't explain why, but it just felt like she was running in circles, hopelessly bound to this place. Xiara stopped, shaking all over and rested her head against the wall. For the first time in her life, she couldn't comprehend or truly feel the hopelessness that she knew she should feel. She stared at her glove-clad hands and shook her head slowly. Nothing made sense. Not since being in this accursed place. Her journey seemed like nothing compared to being stuck here. The hostile people and creatures she saw on her way were almost like blessings compared to here. It didn't feel right. This place felt fake. It felt plastic and unreal. It seemed like a dream to her, a dream she needed to wake up from. Xiara just kept picturing a grassy field when she closed her eyes, always a grassy field. She never in her life knew she needed anything more than just that. And suddenly she could see herself there when she was young and smiling. She needed the fresh air. She needed to feel the grimy ground and grass beneath her feet. She needed…

Xiara felt a strong arm grab her by the hand and spin her roughly around. She screamed and wriggled around in protest, but the hand was too strong. Or maybe she was just too weak. Xiara felt tears prickle at her eye lids and looked up. She was staring into the face of an older guy. He was at the very least a foot and a half taller than her and had odd tattoos under his eyes. Xiara was almost tempted to poke them and see if those tattoos were real, but she knew she wouldn't, not under these circumstances. She looked up defiantly at him and couldn't help but give a quizzical look at she stared at his flaming red spiked hair. He almost had to bend down a little to stare down at her face properly. He studied her features a little and stared down at the clothes she was wearing. He smirked a little and laughed. "So, I see you're up and you've been nosing around in my pile of clothes," he said.

Xiara frowned and gave him a dirty look. "I appreciate you letting me rest in your room, but I'd appreciate it more if you'd let go of my arm," she said in as icy as tone as she could.

The man considered what she said for a moment and let her go slowly. "Look. Whether you like it or not, you're staying here. Now, c'mon!" he yelled in a frustrated manner as he gestured with his arm and a dark spinning vortex materialized. The girl just stood there, frozen. The man sighed and pushed Xiara gently by the back. He could almost hear the protests she was prepared to scream at him, but he pushed her once roughly and sent her flying into the portal. _God Axel, what have you gotten yourself into with this obnoxious princess?_ He thought silently as he rubbed his brow with his hand and then stepped into the portal himself, closing it on the way in. And with a last little poof, the portal disappeared, and with it, Xiara's last hopes of freedom.

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**So, what'd you all think of the third chapter? Be sure to review and comment on it, so I can get a sense of how others like it or not and so it can give me ideas for future chapters. Stay tuned for the next chapter!**

All characters and settings are owned by Square Enix/Disney. The character Xiara, however, is completely owned by me. 


	4. Reading the Light

**The Magicked Abyss  
Chapter Four**

Xiara could almost feel the darkness wind around her as she was pushed through the portal. She closed her eyes in fright and tried to shut out the images of the darkness wrapping its cold hands around her more and more. The darkness seeped from every nook and cranny and she almost felt as if it were trying to consume her and drag her back into its murky depths. Her skin almost felt translucent when the darkness touched her, as if she really wasn't there. Her skin paled slightly as she tried to fight it off with her hands, swatting and clawing. She even tried summoning her magic, but it was useless here. Only tiny white sparks would shoot from her hands to lure it away, but it would come back as soon as the light flickered out.

Her body shook with the effort of trying not to give in to the darkness surrounding her, slowly inching near her with every second. Xiara wrapped her arms around herself as her teeth began to chatter and her limbs stiffened with cold. "G-go away!" she shrieked, "GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!" Strong arms wrapped around her and Xiara began to flail around to escape the grip on her upper arms.

"Hey, would you just quit struggling, dammit!" yelled a voice by her ear. The girl turned her head around to see the same odd redheaded man who landed her here in the first place. He glared down at her, noticing the pale shade of her skin and the tattered state of his clothes. He grunted and shook his head, keeping a tight grip on her arms. "How the hell did you rip my clothes, and why are you pale?"

She defiantly turned her face away from him. "Sorry if I'm 'struggling', but incase you haven't noticed, I almost got ripped to shreds by just about _everything_ here!" she grumbled. Her head began to swim and ache due to her exposure to the darkness around her. Even her feet felt like jelly as she could hardly stand. If it weren't the man's strong grip, she'd most likely end up crashing to the ground, if there even was one. Xiara's eyes fluttered with the effort to keep awake. "Do me a favor… get me… out… of… here…" she whispered venomously, in an attempt to seem stronger than she was and seem like she had the situation under control .

Axel just smirked as he held onto her arms, pulling her closer. She growled in protest and attempted to break free of his grip, but she was too weak. "So my dear, judging by how red your face is, I guess you like me being so close to you, eh?" Axel whispered in her ear.

Xiara screeched in fury, her face fully flushed and she tried once more to kick him roughly but to no avail. "You think you're just so full of yourself, don't you?"

"Why wouldn't I?" He replied, giving her a quizzical look.

"Ugh… I'm stuck in this miserable place with a lunatic. Someone, just come and shoot me now," she repied with sarcasm. "Or better yet, just leave me here. I'll be dead my tomorrow and never have to see you again. Doesn't that sound great?"

The pyro just couldn't help himself and began to roar with laughter, which was taken quite rudely by Xiara. This girl was a total pain in the butt, but for some reason, she made him laugh so hard. Shaking his head slightly he effortlessly opened a portal behind him.  
"How about this deal: I'll get you out of here, Bluey-chan, but only if you promise to cooperate with whatever I tell you to do, understood?" he asked while he leaned down to put his head by hers, putting an emphasis on "Bluey-chan" as he did so.

With a weak growl the girl had no choice but to nod her head and turn her face away once more. "Fine, but don't call me Bluey-chan. I'm Xiara. **Just **Xiara. No nicknames. No petnames."

"Fine, agreed," Axel said in a bored voice and in a flash both Axel and Xiara was in a large, elaborately decorated hallway. The walls in this part of the hallway were very bare, but if you looked closely enough you could see the tiles etched into the walls and how each wall had an insignia marked very lightly into it. There were even small stands with black flowers on them, a step up from the plainness of the last hallway Xiara was in. Xiara's legs wobbled a little, but she managed to stand and Axel let go of her. Her eyes scanned it all, trying to absorb all the images she could get from her surroundings and at the same time adjust to the light and let her head clear. After a few seconds she heaved a sigh, and remembering she wasn't alone began to ball up her hands into fists, which Axel took in with full amusement.

"_Never_, and I mean _never_ will I ever go through that hellhole again!" Xiara shouted while turning around and jabbing him in the chest with her finger. She attempted to give the most utterly filthy glare that she could, but apparently failed miserably when the man laughed at her. "Don't just full-out laugh at me!"

"You do know that you're just terrible at trying to be scary, right?" he said between chuckles and giggles as he waved one arm in front of his face.

Xiara pouted and put her hands on her hips in a defiant manner. "Whatever. Insult me all you like. I'm out of here."

Axel stopped laughing suddenly and kept his eyes on her as she took a step forward. His eyes almost seemed to bore into her back. "Don't you remember our little deal?" he asked with a stern tone to his voice.

Xiara turned around with an innocent smile on her face. "Oh right, that. I lied. You see, I have places to go, worlds to see, people to find. And I'm sorry to say but, I have no time to deal with you and anyone else I happen to meet on the way. So, it's been great, but…" and with a great flourish of her hand and a swift bow, "adieu." She swiftly looked towards the walls nearest her, and before Axel could react, she focused what was left of her energy into both walls parallel to her and created a giant white smoke bomb. Her rushed footsteps could be heard down the hall as she began to sprint on her stiff legs down yet another long hallway.

Axel coughed as he covered his face with one hand and squinted to avoid the smoke and chased after her. _Damned lying, stupid, self-absorbed, thick headed, princess!_ As he ran faster and faster to catch up he could see her slim figure getting closer and closer with each meter until, with great stupidity she turned her head while running, stuck out her tongue, and ran right into the largest of the hallway doors as it opened. She fell over and Axel stopped right in front of her, smirking all the while.

A hooded figure stepped out from the opened door and turned towards Axel. "You're late."

"Sorry," Axel replied while scratching behind his head and pointing at the knocked out girl. "She really didn't look before she leaped."

The figure sighed and motioned for Axel to come in through the door and picked up the girl himself.

Inside was a vast circular room, completely bleach white with exactly thirteen high chairs rising higher and higher into the air, as if to test the heavens themselves. In the middle of all the chairs was a circular platform with the same insignia that was on every wall, every door, every tile, even every knick-knack in between. The hooded figure placed the girl onto the platform in the middle of the chairs. Others would look down at her from each chair, their hoods pulled over their faces. But even with the hoods, it was evident that everyone was surprised as to what was going on. Everyone would murmur something or whisper snatches of gossip to one another or nod their head remorsefully in the girl's direction. There was no way that this was a normal meeting in the Organization XIII. Even the person perched upon the highest chair was looking down curiously and uttering something to the person directly next to them. Axel stood with his arms folded by the large oaken door which he now closed and leaned upon. All attention in the room was focused on the unconscious girl in the middle of all the commotion. 

Even a certain blonde was looking down at her with complete interest. He shook his head in disbelief and snarled. The person next to him, who was older and also blonde turned to him and almost jumped in his seat. "What the hell's wrong with you, Roxas? squealed the older blonde.

Roxas balled his hands into fists and stared down furiously at her. "Don't you see Demyx? It's that same girl who gave us attitude!" he replied in a hushed but angry tone. 

Demyx pondered this and put his hand to his chin before bolting up and snapping his fingers. "You're right Roxas! But…" and with this he began to fiddle around with his fingers, "didn't you start giving her attitude first?"

Roxas groaned and sighed, trying his best to keep his head cool. "That's not the point. Why's she here?"

Demyx scratched his head through his hood and mumbled to himself "I dunno. Maybe she's gonna be our hostage or… something?"

Roxas mentally sighed and put rested his head on his hand, then noticing Axel by the door staring at him, gave a feeble wave in his direction.

Then there was complete silence as a deep, quiet voice carried out through the room. Everyone quietly stiffened in their seats and gave him their full attention as he spoke. "We are all gathered here today," said the one in the highest chair, "to discuss a matter of complete urgency. The girl whom you see below you seems to be quite an oddity in our midst." Most people just shook their heads at this while others gave outbursts like, "She looks normal enough," or "This is pointless!" The man on the highest chair just waved their outbursts away and made a loud noise like he was clearing his throat, which was a signal for others to be quiet.

"As I said," he continued, "this child seems to have a grasp on powers unknown to have ever existed before. This _power_ could even shift the balance we have between failure and success for our plans." He then turned to look down towards the door where Axel was leaning against, casually folding his arms and closing his eyes. "Axel, you seem to be an aquittance of hers thus far. Tell us about these powers of hers."

Axel opened on emerald eye lazily and heaved himself off the door to stand up straight to address the other members. He cleared his throat and raised his arm dramatically to get everyone's attention. "Well-" he started before noticing the girl raising her head with unsteady hands and glaring at him.

"If you want the real story… why not ask me, since you've all been kind enough to talk about me while I was partially unconscious?" she said as she began to pant and stand up. People would gasp and eye her suspiciously as she stood to glare at each person in turn, making sure to give her captor an even worse glare than last time, making him flinch.

"But…" Axel said dumbstruck as he pointed at her accusingly. "You were unconscious! You shouldn't even be able to stand!"

Xiara laughed. "That's what you think. There's more to me than meets the eye, Red. A dumb wall isn't going to keep me down." Axel gave her a furious look at being called "Red". She turned to her head away from him to look at the person in the highest chair and folded her arms trying to give off a calm look. "So, tell me, what exactly you wish to know about my powers?" she asked slowly.

The person in the second highest chair leaned up to whisper something to the highest chaired person who nodded before replying, "Perhaps you should start with how you obtained such power?"

Xiara looked at the ground sadly and smirked before looking up and addressing everyone else. " I read it out of a book." 

**So, it appears that things might not be as they seem for Xiara. But who knows what can happen… stay tuned for the next exciting chapter!**

All characters belong to Square Enix and Disney. The character Xiara, however, belongs to me.

Be sure to give reviews, comments, or suggestions for the story.


	5. Prisoner

Author's Notes: **All characters in this fanfic belong to Disney and Square Enix. Xiara, on the other hand, is mine. ^_^ Sorry it took so long. I had one BAD case of writer's block. Hope you enjoy the chapter!**

The Magicked Abyss  
Chapter Five: Prisoner

_Xiara laughed. "That's what you think. There's more to me than meets the eye, Red. A dumb wall isn't going to keep me down." Axel gave her a furious look at being called "Red". She turned to her head away from him to look at the person in the highest chair and folded her arms trying to give off a calm look. "So, tell me, what exactly you wish to know about my powers?" she asked slowly._

_The person in the second highest chair leaned up to whisper something to the highest chaired person who nodded before replying, "Perhaps you should start with how you obtained such power?"_

_Xiara looked at the ground sadly and smirked before looking up and addressing everyone else. " I read it out of a book."_

****

"THAT'S ABSURD!" one of the men in the high chairs roared as others soon followed and began to join in the chorus of outbursts and insults pointed towards Xiara, who simply shrugged them away. Soon even arguments broke out amongst the members sitting in their chairs and the girl simply chose to sit cross-legged on the floor and ignore their whining and bickering. Honestly, how hard was THAT small statement to believe? She'd already just been transported to an odd room, in an odd castle, in an odd world, so why should anything else seem strange here?

Axel, choosing not to get involved, simply snapped his fingers and lit a tiny flame on his finger, watching it dance around his hand. The fire almost seemed to be teasing him, scrambling from one finger to another as if it were a jungle gym. Finally, Axel put out the flame with a small swish of his hand, cleared his throat and tapped Xiara on the shoulder, watching her blue-haired head turn to glare ferociously at him. "It might be better if you explained the whole story to them. They're very debatable men... errr... plus one woman, but she doesn't count, really," Axel said as he nudged her to stand up and stepped back, allowing her to stand in the middle of the circle of chairs.

Xiara took a deep sigh before stretching her arm infront of her, allowing just a small portion of her silver aura to form around her index finger. She placed her finger gently on her throat and felt the power course through her, giving her voice more strength. "Well, as fun as it was to watch you all argue like a pack of starved coyotes, I'm guessing I owe you gentlemen... and gentlewoman, an explanation."

At the sound of her magnified voice, silence quickly enveloped the room as all eyes fixed on her. Xiara took a sigh of relief and folded her arms over her chest and staring coolly at the group of men sitting around her in their chairs. An air of tension seemed to course around the circular air as each member would lean in slightly, giving Xiara their full attention. "As I said; I read it out of a book. Most fragments of my memory are quite blurry to me in my current state, however, I do remember to precise detailing the conditions of my powers.

"Although books of that nature are not found often, I happened to come across it in the time that I was... well, 'whole' is the only word that comes to mind right now. I can still remember what it felt like that day..." Xiara closed her eyes in deep thought, and when she opened them again, her eyes had taken on a more clearer, sharper shade of blue and her voice gave off a more saddened tone. "It was the day of the Lunar Festival, and me and my brother wandered off from the village. We thought nothing would happen that night... but we were wrong.

"We walked into the graveyard, looked at the red moon and practiced our festival dances, when suddenly all we saw of the village was a ball of flame. I still don't even have an explanation of how it happened, and I frankly don't want to know. I just stood there, unable to do anything and I was traumatized with fear, while my brother ran to the village hoping to help everyone. And then the worst was yet to come.

"Next thing I knew, I found that I'd fallen asleep, and the village was just a ruin. I tried to get up... but I didn't have the energy. And then, somehow, this cloaked man walked up to me and gave me the book; _The Dark Arts of the Disir_. He said, 'If you want the power to save the ones you love, trade all that you cherish to me.'"

"So you traded your heart for power?" asked the man in the highest of all the chairs.

Xiara nodded, keeping her eyes on the ground. Axel could've sworn he could see her eyes well up with tears, but he pushed the thought aside and continued to listen. "Yes, I did. But I didn't realise what I'd done until I opened my eyes and felt just how empty I'd become. And at first, I couldn't control my power. Sometimes it'd get the better of me, and I'd just blank-out and find myself someplace else."

"And is that how you found yourself in our world?"

"Yes, it is. When I got down to the village... all I saw around me were these black bug-like things. But, it was so odd. I just knew instantly what they were and what to do against them. I think the book even gave me some knowledge I didn't know before. I even know what I am now and what you all are, too, just by looking at you. And, I can even see all the different coloured energies around you."

"Y-You can even see energy?!" Axel questioned, shaking her by the shoulders. "WHAT'S THE COLOUR OF MINE?!"

Xiara swatted away his arms and took a step back, glaring fiercely at him. "It's a deep-orange, bordering on red, moron."

Axel smiled proudly as stepped aside. "That's all I wanted to hear," he said with a smug look on his face. Xiara rolled her eyes.

"So, then, if we are to believe you, we must also assume that there is someone who now possesses a book of this power, correct?" said a young male voice from one of the chairs above. Xiara looked up, focusing her sense of hearing to make out the exact people who spoke and found herself looking at a cloaked member whose deeply silver-blue hair was poking out of his cloak, and who was folding his arms in deep thought. Xiara almost found something familiar in him.

She nodded her head briefly. "I realize this may be hard to believe, but my powers are proof of the events that took place. Not to mention the fact that I'm... not 'whole' anymore."

A silence filled the room as heads swivelled and wordless decisions were made. Just the presence of such thoughts made her mind feel heavy, as if it could not handle the stress of so many minds whispering to each other, coaxing her into wanting to know more, wanting her to open up her mind to them, to... Xiara shook her head of the thought and focused her mind once more, closing herself off to the lure of other minds. A deep sense of calm washed over her as the silence was soon broken by footsteps and the sound of hooded heads nodding in unison. A decision was made. Switching her attention from the clamour around her, Xiara looked up with an air of acceptance towards her fate, her arms folded behind her back and her posture strong, as if not even the strongest of storms could bring her down.

The leader looked down at her with an air of smugness. "I see you already know your fate. Very well, then," he gestured towards Axel. "Take her to the lower encampments. We'll decide what to do with her later."

Axel bowed unwillingly and bit his tongue. Being the fierce natured person that he was, he disliked orders, but knew he had no other choice. He sighed and snapped his fingers. Rings of black knotted themselves around Xiara's hands and kept them in place, restricting her from moving. Incredibly, Axel noted that she did not even struggle as she did before, did not even utter a single sound. He smirked in glorified satisfaction, bowed once more to his superiors and led Xiara along, using his finger to tug her along, almost as if she were on a string.

Gritting her teeth, Xiara forced her head down in a defeated posture, letting her hair brush over her face and hide her flashing blue eyes. As she was led out the door by her captor and she was positive he wasn't paying attention, Xiara clenched her hands into fists, concealing the glow on her palms that was beginning to gather strength. She needed a plan. And she needed one _now. I could simply banish these restraints... but no, the others would catch on and I'd be dead. Hmmm... Or... I could let him capture me, and then... _Smirking, Xiara let some of the energy built up in her palms escape, leaving her a small trail of traceable energy. Each time the pyro's head would turn to look back at her, Xiara would expel her energy for the moment and regain her defeated looked. Keeping her eyes trained forward Xiara kept snatches of distinctive objects in the white-washed hallways planted in her mind, careful to note every detail, every turn, every corner, in her memory.

__________

After several minutes of endless walking and energy expelling on Xiara's part, they came to a darkly sinuous hallway. As she looked down a lump formed in Xiara's throat. She could already sense the dread that endless black abyss brought. Axel looked back at her, smirking widely, his green eyes glittering from the light of the fire that was burning in his palm. "This, little princess, is where you'll be staying. And you'll be happy to know that you won't be able. Our resident witch can keep you company. It'll be like a witch's convention!"

"A...nother... witch?" Xiara asked curiously, her voice hoarse and weak.

"That's right, Blue. So you two can have fun with your Alakazam-Magic talks and the rats!" Axel replied, bursting into full-throated laughter.

Shaking her head in annoyance, Xiara stepped forward. "If you're done chuckling, you Pyromaniacal freak, I'd like very much to get this over with so I can be away from _you._" Xiara said in an icy tone.

Cringing from the commanding tone she used, Axel scratched the back of his head. "Fine, fine, geez! I was just messin' with ya, honest!" Muttering to himself, Axel motioned with his finger, walking first down the stairs into the lower levels with Xiara close behind.

The first thing to reach Xiara's nostrils was the smell of must and decay. She could even hear the _drip-drip_ of water above her head. When she reached her hand towards the wall for support, she recoiled, screaming. The walls had felt slimey to the touch, which startled her greatly. But Axel didn't even pay attention. He kept all his attention fixed on the fireball resting in his outstretched hand, which lent its light to the foreboding climb down. The steps were cracked, but sturdy below their feet and after a short while, they reached their destination. Below the spiralling staircase was a well-lit room, with purple walls which glowed dimly and two cells, with thick black bars and a small ceiling. A scurrying noise was heard from the far end of the room where the light didn't reach it. Xiara guessed that to be the rats Axel had mentioned.

"Stay right here!" Axel barked as he walked to the far end of the room, leaving Xiara to stand at the foot of the stairs. He reached the end of the room and tapped lightly on the second cell's bars. He waited patiently for a moment, leaning a bit on the bars and moving his fingers, making the fire dance.

Training her ears, Xiara could hear the sound of human footsteps in the cell and she could just barely make out the sight of tiny hands poking out from between the bars and a richly shade of blonde hair falling out from between the bars, as if the person inside were happy to see Axel.

"You came back, you really did..." said the weak voice of a girl.

Axel looked back at her, his green eyes cool and distant. "I didn't come here to free you. I came to introduce you to your new cellmate."

There was a pause, as if the girl was contemplating her situation and a rustle of her hair. "That's... okay. I'm... just..." she stopped herself, as if the sentence itself ate away at her.

Seeing she was no longer going to speak, Axel walked back, gruffly grabbing Xiara by the arm and walking her towards the cell. "Namine, meet your new cellmate Xi--"

"I can say it myself, thanks!" Xiara replied viciously.

Axel sighed, snapping his fingers and allowing her black restraints to wisp away into black smoke. "Have it your way, then." He opened the cell door with a movement of his arm and the girl moved back, slinking away into a dark corner.

With no help from Axel, Xiara pushing his arm away and walked calmly into the cell, allowing the door to close behind her. When she said no word, Axel shrugged his shoulders and began his descent up the stairs, taking one last look at Xiara before he walked up.

When she was positive he was gone, Xiara let her gaze wander onto the dark corner where she could make out the shape of her new companion. "Your name is Namine, huh? Well, I can't say this is the best place to make a friend, but if you wanted to know, my name is Xiara."

**  
BE SURE TO STAY TUNED AND SEE WHAT'S IN STORE FOR NAMINE AND XIARA!**

Plz give me your reviews, comments, or suggestions for the story. They really do help! 


	6. Ally?

Author's Notes: **All characters in this fanfic belong to Disney and Square Enix. Xiara, on the other hand, is mine. ^_^ Once more, writer's block has interfered with me.**

The Magicked Abyss  
Chapter Six: Ally?

_With no help from Axel, Xiara pushed his arm away and walked calmly into the cell, allowing the door to close behind her. When she said no word, Axel shrugged his shoulders and began his ascent up the stairs, taking one last look at Xiara before he walked up._

When she was positive he was gone, Xiara let her gaze wander onto the dark corner where she could make out the shape of her new companion. "Your name is Namine, huh? Well, I can't say this is the best place to make a friend, but if you wanted to know, my name is Xiara."  
**  
**The girl looked quizzically back at Xiara, letting her gaze linger a moment too long. She blinked and shook her head, embarrassed. "I-I apologize... It's just..." she looked back with an expression of fear and peered at the corner of the room where the stairs were just visible over the cover of the small lights hanging precariously above.

Worry crossed Xiara's face. The other girl looked focused, lost in her train of thought, her blue eyes lingering on the notebook that rested on her lap. "You thought...?" Xiara prompted.

Namine looked back at Xiara. Her eyes were unfocused, as if in a trance. Instinctively, Xiara shuffled back with confusion lit upon her face. Namine bit her lip and looked down, her blonde hair falling into her face. She wiped away invisible dust off her notebook. "I thought... you were one of them," she mumbled.****

Xiara blinked. Once. Twice. Three times. Curiosity began to mist over in her eyes and she tilted her head to the side, folding her legs and sitting down on the ground, twiddling around with a stray piece of hair. "And why... would you think that?"

Namine's mouth turned into a hard line. Her arms stiffened as they coiled around the leather bound notebook in her lap. She let her head drop down as she propped her back against the wall, opening to a clean, fresh page of her notebook. Xiara's eyes followed the action as if it were a ritual, as if even a second would take away from time itself. A pen dropped out of the notebook as Namine flipped through pages. Finding one she was content with, she scrawled mercilessly across the page allowing the pen's pained scratches revolve around the room. Seconds passed and finally, feeling fulfilled with her scrawling, Namine flipped the book around, allowing Xiara to peer across the lettering that was just faintly visible in the gloom. _They are watching us._

Xiara's eyes inspected the writing, and she nodded her head in understanding. Namine looked grimly back, placing a finger to her lips before she flipped back to her previous page in her notebook, letting her pen glide along the bleached white paper. _  
_  
Silence engulfed the room. Seconds turned to minutes, and minutes to hours. Xiara let her mind wanderas her blue eyes took in the room around her. Her breathing slowed, evened out, and complemented the stifling atmosphere around her. Soon her gaze became glazed, her eyes never leaving the small fluorescent bulb lights shining with life meters above her, casting a faint glow to the wall opposite her. Xiara's fingers made small intricate dances, keeping a constant internal rhyme, never slowing. One-three-four-five, one-three-four-five. _If only I was just a __little__ stronger. If only I could __be __more. _As the seconds went by, one light flickered desperately, trying to hold on to its own yellow warmth. Xiara's eyes stayed on the bulb, never blinking, never wavering. Her fingers continued their dance as the light flickered along with the movement. One-two-three, one-two-three. _If this existence is meant to fade away, then what does that mean? What if I'm like these lights, shining and bristling with life, and then fading away and being replaced like I'm nothing?_

Xiara's fingers picked up the tempo, out-dancing the flickering bulb. Namine's pen broke stride with the paper and her oceanic blue eyes caught the movement of Xiara's fingers. Xiara didn't notice. She continued to focus, twisting and twirling her hands this way and that. Finally, the light relented, and a soft, sephia glow danced along the surface of Xiara's skin. It cast a faint glow into the cell, instantly warming the cold surfaces of the bars. Namine stared transfixed at the light show in front of her, her eyes twisting and twirling as well, lighting and dancing. Xiara held up her other hand, letting it run along the fingertips of the lit hand, sweeping the light in fluid movements, allowing it sparkle and fizz. A smile crawled along her face as she them brought her two hands together, cradling her small ball of light. She stood up, and held her hands over her hand, letting the small ball float up happily to nestle on the ceiling.

Seeing the deed was gone, Xiara dusted off her hands and blew on them, disposing of excess sparks. She looked down at Namine who continued to stare as if she were a still-life. Smiling a little, Xiara leaned against the bars, snapping her fingers to form another ball of light that floated just off the surface of her skin. "Just felt like adding a homey touch," she chirped.

Namine blinked and opened and closed her mouth in amazement. "How... when... That was... _amazing!_ Where did you learn that?" she asked, dazzled.

Xiara only smiled proudly. "I've been around," she replied smugly.

Namine smiled lightly. "Well, wherever you're from, you're something special."

"Oh really now?" Xiara cooed, her eyebrows rising in mock astonishment. She brought the small flame of light towards her face, letting it illuminate her crooked smile as she stuck out her tongue and crossed her eyes. "Still think I'm... 'special'?"

Namine laughed weakly, the sound bouncing off the walls as she put her hand towards her mouth, trying to hide the giggles that escaped through her lips. Xiara giggled as well, snapping her fingers and cutting her small flame's light short.

"Now that I think of it..." Namine started, her hand poised under her chin in deep thought. "You... really don't seem like one of _them._"

Xiara snorted. "What was your first guess?"

Namine gave a knowing smile. "You know, a proper prisoner deserves at least some proof of their capture."

"Oh?"

"I was thinking... perhaps it wouldn't hurt if I gave some pages to write on. It would help you kill the time here." Namine suggested enthusiastically. With a curious expression from Xiara, Namine quickly skimmed through her notebook and ripped out a stack of clear page. She placed it in Xiara's outstretched hand. It felt rough under her touch, even heavy. "Every villain needs a log," Namine replied.

Xiara sneered. "Tch. Why is that I'm always tacked on as the villain?"

Namine smiled. "Your outlandish attitude, perhaps?"

Xiara looked back at her and smiled. "Yeah, that sounds about right," she murmured under her breath. Namine giggled once more, the tinkling sound filling the cell once more.

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**Sounds like Xiara has finally made a friend. But what will this lead to now? What will happen when a visitor comes to ruin the newfound joy? STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER, AND THE START OF XIARA'S JOURNALS, WHICH WILL BE WRITTEN IN FIRST VIEW, FROM XIARA'S PERSPECTIVE.**


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